Revive

by Nina Levine

  I had no idea where he was going with this now. “Yes, he does, if you must know.”

  “You know his past? That he was in jail for years for beating a man up?”

  “James, I know Nash. I know his heart. And yes, I’m aware of his past. But let me tell you, Nash has a reason for everything he does. And his reasons aren’t dirty like your reasons. I’ll take a flawed man who does things out of love or honour over a man who does stuff for his own personal gain.”

  He glared at me. The cold wind whipped around us, biting me with its iciness. This was the end of us; finally. I could feel it in my bones and the weight I’d been carrying for years lifted.

  The last words he delivered failed to hit me in the way he intended. “I have no idea what I ever saw in you, Velvet.”

  I smiled as I tasted freedom. “That’s because you never opened your eyes, James.”

  He blinked; confused. I turned and opened my front door to go back inside. But he had one last thing to ask. “You won’t talk about us, will you?”

  I gave him my attention one last time. “It’s good to see you beg, asshole. But I’m the bigger person, and no, I have no intention of ever talking about us. I won’t waste my breath on you.” With that, I walked away, letting the door slam behind me. Adrenaline was pumping through me. I could hardly contain my happiness, and felt the need to talk to Nash. He didn’t answer his phone though so I sent him a text.

  Me: Fingernails on your back.

  I didn’t hear back from him and although that disappointed me, I grinned to myself knowing that the text would affect him. I’d eventually hear back from him.

  Leaving my phone in the kitchen so I wouldn’t be distracted, I headed into the study and began the hours of work I had to do in order to pass my exams. I was so engrossed in it that I didn’t realise how much time had passed until I heard someone banging on my front door.

  “God, who now?” I muttered to myself as I padded out there.

  I opened the door to find Nash filling the doorframe, his muscular arms leaning on either side of it, an intense gaze directed at me. “You can’t fuckin’ send me a text like that and then ignore the fuck out of me, woman.”

  God, yes.

  My core clenched, and desire consumed me. I stepped back, and he powered through the door, one arm scooping my waist and the other one curling around my neck. He shut the door with his foot, and turned to push me against the wall. His lips crashed down onto mine, and he let out a low growl as he kissed the hell out of my lips. A delicious warmth flowed through me; this man possessed the ability to send me from zero to a hundred in seconds. He could do whatever he wanted and I would take it all. Anything. Everything. He didn’t even need to ask.

  His hands moved down to cup my ass and lift me. I wrapped my arms and legs around him, holding tight. I’d never let go of him; not now, not ever. He was mine, and that knowledge thrilled me.

  He dragged his lips from mine, moving his head so he could look down at me. Butterflies swirled in my tummy when his eyes landed on my chest. His breathing had grown ragged, and I realised just how worked up my text had gotten him.

  “Are you going to fuck me, Nash, or are you just going to look at me?”

  His gaze swung straight back to mine. It scorched me with the passion it held. The desire he felt was clear to see. In response to my question he raised his brow in a ‘what the fuck do you think’ manner. “After that text you sent, it’s going to be quick. And you’re not going to complain, sweet thing. You fuckin’ asked for this.”

  I smiled sweetly at him, and tightened my arms and legs around him. “Baby, there’s something you might not have worked out about me yet.” I paused as I moved my mouth next to his ear so I could whisper, “I like it hard, fast and rough.”

  As I moved my face away, I caught the clench of his jaw. “You’re gonna get your fuckin’ wish,” he rasped.

  He didn’t waste time. One minute I was up against the wall, the next I was standing and he was ripping my clothes off. In the frenzy, I fumbled with his belt. My fingers weren’t cooperating and he pushed them out of the way, undoing his belt and pants faster than I could blink. He pushed his pants down, and spun me around to face the wall.

  Warm breath tickled my neck as he positioned my arms up against the wall, and murmured, “I love looking at your ass while I fuck your pussy.” He slapped my bare ass, and my hunger for him intensified. “You like that?” he breathed into my ear.

  I pushed my ass back, into him. “Yeah, Nash, I like that. Do it again.”

  He growled, and slapped me again. My body thrummed. The deepest parts of me woke under his touch, and cried out for more. When he ran his hand over my bare skin, I shivered.

  “Baby, why the fuck did we wait so long for this?” he begged to know.

  I had no good answer for that question; the waiting seemed pointless now. “No more waiting, Nash. Hurry up and fuck me.”

  He didn’t need any further coaxing. “Give me a second, darlin’. We need a condom.”

  “We really need to sort something out about that,” I complained, hating to wait for him.

  “Yeah, babe, we do,” he agreed, and then, having the condom in place, he whispered in my ear, “Ready?”

  I tingled all over; Nash’s breath, body and dirty mouth had me way past ready. “Yes.”

  His cock entered me; rough, hard and fast. Just the way I’d asked for. His hands gripped my waist and he held me in place while he fucked me exactly how he’d promised me he would.

  “Babe, touch yourself,” he grunted.

  My clit was screaming out for attention so I did what he said. The pleasure caused by my fingers collided with the pleasure he was giving me, and I moaned.

  Nash enjoyed the sound of pleasure, and groaned. “Shit, I’m gonna fuckin’ come soon. You and your fuckin’ texts...” He stopped talking and thrust hard one last time before stilling. “Fuck,” he groaned again before letting his head fall onto my shoulders.

  I was so close to my orgasm, and I knew Nash would get me there faster. “Nash, I need your fingers.”

  He knew exactly what I needed, and he took over from me. His mouth kissed my neck before whispering, “You want my fingers to fuck your cunt, baby?”

  I moaned at the thought, and nodded, unable to get words out. He pulled out of me and inserted his fingers while continuing to rub my clit with his thumb. The pleasure was intense; divine. He slid an arm around my waist and pulled me back. I leaned into him, dropping my head back onto his shoulder.

  “So good...” I moaned, and lost myself to the orgasm that was taking over.

  He bent a little so he could push his fingers deeper, and that sent me over the edge. I screamed out his name, and accepted all the pleasure he gave. While I recovered, he moved his hands and scooped my hair off my shoulder so he could lay gentle kisses along it. Nash doing gentle right after rough almost killed me.

  “Babe, as much as I’m enjoying this, I have to get back to the club,” he said.

  “So, you just came over for a quickie?” I didn’t care; I was just giving him grief to rile him up. Nash all bothered was a turn on.

  He slapped me on the ass, softly this time. “Had no fuckin’ choice, sweetheart. You send me a text like that again, you better be ready to spread your legs.”

  I laughed. “I knew it would affect you, I just didn’t realise how much.”

  He turned me around to face him, and planted a kiss on my lips. “Velvet, I’m not sure you realise just how much you affect me, let alone your fuckin’ text messages.”

  I smiled. “I do now.” I paused, and then added, “James came to see me this morning.”

  He stilled, and a scowl covered his face. “What did that asshole want?”

  “You went to see him.”

  He nodded once. “I did. So I’m fuckin’ hoping you’ve got good news for me otherwise I’ll be paying him another visit.”

  “He won’t be bothering me again. Thank you for that.”

/>   He caressed my cheek. “Any time, sweet thing.”

  I bit my lip. I needed to tell someone what this meant to me, but I wasn’t sure anyone would get it. “Nash, this is huge to me. I feel like, for the first time in years, I can do anything; be anything. I didn’t realise just how much he was holding me back. It probably sounds stupid - ”

  He cut me off. “Nothing you say sounds stupid, Velvet. I might be an asshole, but I get what you’re saying. I get you. I’ve watched my sister go through life not feeling worthy, and it breaks my fuckin’ heart to see the shit she accepts from men. I’m over the fuckin’ moon to know that you can move past that dickhead and believe in yourself again.”

  I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him, long and hard. My heart threatened to explode out of my chest. When it ended, I said, “You’re not really an asshole, Nash Walker.” Then I grinned, and added, “Well, maybe just a little bit asshole, but life would be boring if you weren’t.”

  It was his turn to grin now. “Babe, I’m glad we’ve established once and for all that I’m a little bit asshole, but can we get dressed now. I’m standing here with my pants around my legs looking at your tits and ass, and if you don’t put some clothes on soon, I’m not gonna make it back to the clubhouse. And I’ll never hear the fuckin’ end of it from Scott.”

  I pouted. “I’d be worth it though. Right?”

  He sighed. “You’ve no idea, sweet thing. No fuckin’ idea.”

  Chapter 25

  Hey Jealousy ~ Gin Blossoms

  Nash

  “Let me get this straight, you’re saying that you believe Marcus was responsible for that bust on your club ten years ago?” Scott said, clearly astonished.

  Kick nodded, rubbing his jaw. “Yeah, brother, that’s what we think.”

  I was struggling to keep up with the conversation; my thoughts kept going back to this afternoon with Velvet. She consumed my thoughts constantly; thank Christ she didn’t know just how much.

  I focused back on what was being said. Kick had asked me to organise a chat with Scott tonight and was now revealing the reason for his visit to Brisbane.

  Scott really was incredulous; surprising, because at this point I’d believe anything of Marcus. He asked Kick, “Can you just go over that again for me?”

  Kick gave me one of his impatient looks; he was one of the most impatient bastards I’d ever met. He was also one of the most loyal and honest, so yeah, I believed what he was telling us now. Looking back at Scott, he repeated himself, “Our cop friends have been talking recently about that drug bust ten years ago, the one that put our VP and two other members inside, and the word is that Marcus snitched on our club in order to save himself from something. No idea what that was though. This was back when your club was running drugs too. My VP wants confirmation it was Marcus before he moves on this. And if he gets that confirmation, it won’t be pretty for your father.”

  I didn’t doubt what he’d just said about the consequences for Marcus if they discovered this to be true. The Sydney chapter was the Mother Chapter of Storm and their President and VP were violent motherfuckers who even Kick did his best not to piss off, and Kick wasn’t the kind of man to worry about anyone.

  “Any of this ringing bells for you, VP?” I asked.

  Scott slowly shook his head, obviously still processing it. “No, but I’ll be looking into it, that’s for damn sure.”

  Kick frowned, and asked, “You think it’s wrong?”

  “No, brother.” He gave me an enquiring look, and I read what he was asking. I nodded to indicate it was safe to talk to Kick about Marcus. Turning back to Kick, he said, “A few of us are currently looking into Marcus’s activities. Seems he’s trying to steer us back into drugs and has hooked us up with Adelaide for a foot in the door.”

  “You don’t want back in the drugs?” Kick asked.

  “Fuck, no. We don’t need it to survive, and we don’t need the attention.”

  “Yeah, I hear you,” Kick agreed.

  “What’s your plan?” Scott asked him.

  “I’ve got some coppers up here to talk to; see if they know anything. Other than that, I don’t think there’s any club members who would know much. Unless you think there’s someone worth talking to?”

  I remembered what Blade had said the other day. “You ever hear of someone called Blue?”

  Scott swung his head in my direction. “No, why?”

  “Haven’t had a chance to tell you yet, but Blade said he’s upped his surveillance on Marcus and they’ve come across that name. Said that Marcus is looking for someone called Blue.”

  “Who’s Blade?” Kick asked.

  “Marcus’s son, my half brother, but he’s not tied up with Storm. He’s got his own thing going on.”

  I eyed Scott. “Might be worth Kick’s while to go have a chat with him.”

  Scott nodded. “Yeah, brother. You want to hook that up?”

  “Sure,” I agreed.

  Scott stood. “Anything else?” he asked Kick. “

  “Nope. Thanks for your time, man.”

  “No problem, Kick. Just keep me in the loop. Yeah?”

  “Will do. And like I said, the repercussions for Marcus won’t be good if he was involved.”

  “Yeah, I’m hearing you,” Scott said, his concentration far away; probably sifting through his mind to find anything that might relate to this.

  He left and when I heard the front door slam shut, I said to Kick, “Fuck, man.”

  “Yeah, brother, fuck is about right. I’ve never liked Marcus but I like Scott; it’ll be a lot for him to deal with if his father did this.”

  I considered it. “Mostly, I think he’ll be okay with whatever happens. Marcus has fucked him and their family around, and Scott has nothing to do with him anymore.”

  “That’s good. I believe Marcus is guilty; it’s just a matter of proving it. Once we have proof, my VP will move fast. You think Scott will step up to Presidency if this goes the way I think it will?”

  “Yeah.”

  “And who would take on VP?”

  I didn’t hesitate. To me, it was a no-brainer. “Griff.”

  He nodded, and then grinned at me. “We going hunting tonight, or are you pussy-whipped these days?”

  I thought about Velvet, and returned his grin. “No hunting for me anymore, brother.”

  “Figured as much. What’s the story there? I thought you’d sworn off relationships.”

  “Yeah, you and me both. Velvet and I kinda happened by accident but I think it was inevitable.”

  “She know about Gabriella and Aaron?”

  “No.” The anxiety surfaced but it was bearable; I focused on my breathing to keep it under control.

  “When do you plan on telling her? Before the end of June?”

  I rubbed the back of my neck. “Shit, Kick. I don’t fuckin’ know.”

  “Christ, Nash. It’s been what, ten years this year? That’s a long fucking time to carry this shit with you and not move on. Seems to me you could do with a woman to help you through it.”

  He was right. I knew he fucking was. I’d been dealing with this very thought the last couple of days. The closer Velvet and I got, the more I wanted to open up to her. “You’re a pushy fucker, you know that?”

  His face remained serious. “Yeah, and you need someone like me to push you, otherwise you’re going to end up alone and miserable. You’ll be chasing pussy in your fuckin’ wheelchair if you don’t find someone to settle down with.”

  I laughed at that thought. “They’d be fuckin’ lucky to have me, asshole. My cock will still be in hot demand when I’m in a wheelchair.”

  He lost the serious face and grinned at me while shaking his head. “Shit, you never shut up about your cock, do you? Just tell me you’ll talk to her, brother. It’s time.”

  I raked my hand through my hair, and agreed, reluctantly. “Yeah, I’m gonna fuckin’ talk to her.”

  Kick stood. He had that determined look in his
eyes, the one that told me he was on the prowl. “I’m gonna hit your club. You coming?”

  I jumped up, fucking tripping over myself to leave. Velvet was working tonight, and although we hadn’t made plans to see each other, I’d known that wouldn’t happen. I needed her. Kick just looked at me and gave me that ‘you’re so gone’ look. I scowled, and muttered, “Not a fuckin’ word, brother.”

  ***

  Velvet

  If anymore assholes spoke to me tonight, I swore I was going to rip their fucking nuts off. Seriously, it must have been full moon or something, because Indigo was full of them tonight. Their filthy mouths and grabby hands seemed to be all I could hear and feel. I sighed. Maybe it was because I was missing Nash, maybe that was making it worse. His presence had a way of calming me. Having him in my life made it better, and certainly having him around while I was at work made it easier to deal when assholes got in my face.

  This job was really starting to lose its appeal. I’d always enjoyed it, but lately I didn’t look forward to coming to work like I used to. Even the attention from men that I once craved, no longer held any interest for me. I didn’t want it; I just wanted Nash’ attention.

  “Velvet, take a break, babe. I don’t want to see you for at least forty-five minutes. You’ve been working your ass off tonight,” Cody said as he walked past me to the bar.

  I could have hugged him. “Done,” I replied and immediately headed out to the staff room before he changed his mind.

  The first thing I did was kick my shoes off, the second thing I did was pour myself a bourbon, and the third thing I did was knock that drink back in half a minute flat. Then I thought, fuck it, and poured myself another drink.

  It was after two drinks in quick succession that Wilder sauntered in. I admired his muscles. Damn, he was built, and the shirt he was wearing did nothing to hide those muscles. He wasn’t quite as big as Nash, but I didn’t know one woman who would knock him back if he was on offer.

  He laid a sexy smile on me, a smile that would have gotten him laid if I wasn’t with Nash. “You seen Scott?” he asked. All credit to him, his eyes didn’t stray from my face. Wilder was serious about not messing with a friend of the VP’s.